100 Pushup Challenge

[PackerFanatic]

Due to a busy weekend and the Packer game Sunday, I wasn't able to do my exhaustion test so I will be doing that tonight and starting Week 3 on Thursday.

[Brian Swartz]

Did day 2 today to stay on schedule, as I won't be able to do it tomorrow.

W1D2C3, Alternate Method

10 - 10
12 - 12
8 - 8
8 - 8
Max(12) - 9

Great results today, maybe my best day so far. 47 total pushups which is 11 more than the 36 I did last week. I'm really feeling good about my chances to hit the four standard pushups in the weekend test the way things are progressing right now.

[Brian Swartz]

W1D3C3, Alternate Method

11 - 11
15 - 15
9 - 9
9 - 9
Max(13) - 14

Stunning results today, much better than I expected espescially since it was at the end of a long day and I didn't feel all that energetic. Total of 58, +17 over last week. I'm really feeling confident about Sunday's re-test.

[boberot]

Awesome, Bryan. That's pretty remarkable.

I decided to attempt Week 4 in column 2, not column 3 -- and I'm glad I did. I failed my first attempt at Day 1:

18/22/15/15/25 -- I only managed 20 in the final set, for a total of 90.
Two days ago, I eased up a little on the depth of my push-ups [cheating?] and managed to clear the day with 95.

Going for W4, D2 today.

** sidenote ** Does anybody else think maybe this program is whack? I'm supposed to go from 95 to 115 to 130 in four days time??!! I've been dedicated all this time, but I'm starting to wonder how realistic it is . . . .

[Brian Swartz]

Three things on that.

1. Yes, the program is whack. There are some unrealistic jumps, which is one reason I'm strong advocate of tracking your personal progress and being more concerned about that than whether or not you fail the goals of the day -- I've failed them a lot more than I've made them. But,

2. You have more rest as the week goes on(at least until the last week or two). It certainly makes sense to be able to do more on 2 minutes rest than 1 minute or a minute and a half.

3. See #1. Don't fret over not making every single goal -- and I think it's counterproductive to 'shorten up' just so you can make it. Progress is ALL that matters, just use the program as a guide.

[Brian Swartz]

Re-tested last night, and despite being very tired got a 5 -- which means I finally can take the training wheels off and switch to regular pushups. I'll be starting at the bottom tomorrow -- first column, first week -- but the first major goal has passed. Only 95 more pushups to go now! .

[boberot]

Just attempted Week 4, Day 2 [column 2] for the second time. It's a toughie.

It asks for 20-25-20-20-30 [115 total]

I failed, but I was juiced anyway because I busted out 101 -- my first triple-digit effort.

Man, it's gonna be satisfying to pull this off in 2011 when I finally get where I need to be.

[Brian Swartz]

Man, it's gonna be satisfying to pull this off in 2011 when I finally get where I need to be.

LOL!! Hey, you are still light years ahead of me

Yesterday did W1 D1 C1 --

2 - 2
3 - 3
2 - 2
2 - 2
Max(3) - 3

Just barely made the minimums. There's a whopping 12 total for me -- it'll be many moons till I hit triple digits methinks. Continued with the next workout today since tomorrow is chest and shoulders day at the gym for me and I'm not psychotic -- I never double that up with pushups.

W1 D2 C1

3 - 3
4 - 4
2 - 2
3 - 3
Max(4) - 3

Just a bit short, but not bad.

[boberot]

I always tell my kids not to compare themselves with others -- there will always be people better than them and worse than them at whatever they're doing, and they shouldn't let either fact get inside their head.

On a related note, I have a good friend that busts out 300 push-ups a day, and "when he wants to take a day off" only does 180.

[Brian Swartz]

W1 D3 C1

4 - 4
5 - 5
4 - 4
4 - 4
Max(5) - 6

Pleased and very surprised with today's results, and I'm moving up to Week 2 starting on Monday!

[lordscarlet]

I did my second exhaustion test (the one after week 2) and went from 8 pushups the first time, to 18 this time. I have been spacing things out more than I would like, but time slips away from you. I should be starting week 3 tomorrow.

[PilotMan]

Well guys, I have completely fallen off the wagon, and need to reboot at the top of week 2. I will get going soon.

[duff88]

Week 4 is a pain in the ass...

[boberot]

Originally Posted by duff88

Week 4 is a pain in the ass...

I've failed Wk4, Dy2, Col2 four times already.

I'm not even THAT close to passing it either.

[Brian Swartz]

Well guys, I have completely fallen off the wagon, and need to reboot at the top of week 2. I will get going soon.

Good luck with that, getting back on the wagon is often the hardest part in my experience(unfortunately, falling off isn't).

As for week 4, I've seen a lot of people mention that here and elsewhere -- seems some hit the wall at 3 and some at 5 but 4 is really the most common spot. Hopefully before too many more weeks pass I'll be able to share my own miserable failures on that level .

[Brian Swartz]

W2 D1 C1

4 - 4
6 - 6
4 - 4
4 - 4
Max(6) - 3

Total of 21, +9 over last week's 12. All of the sets after the first one were pretty tough, and I had nothing left at the end. I'm happy though, it's better than I expected.

[boberot]

Originally Posted by boberot

I've failed Wk4, Dy2, Col2 four times already.

I'm not even THAT close to passing it either.

OK, let's just make that five fails on this day.

It's OK -- it's making me do 100 pushups every other day.

That can't be a bad thing.

[Brian Swartz]

W2 D2 C1

5 - 5
6 - 3
4 - 3
4 - 3
Max(7) - 2

I haven't had a tough day in a while, but today certainly was one. I could tell right away I was in trouble as I barely made it to the first set mark. Just didn't have any energy, muscles felt dead. We all have our off days.

16 total, +1 from last week -- 5 less than I did last time out on less rest, but I was a lot fresher of course. I'm sure I'll come back much stronger on Friday.

[Brian Swartz]

W2 D3 C1

5 - 5
7 - 6
5 - 3
5 - 3
Max(8) - 3

Once again I wasn't really close, getting a total of 20, -3 from last week's total. I've sort of hit the wall here -- sometimes you have to struggle for a while and then performance jumps up again. I'll be repeating W2 C1 next week.

[Brian Swartz]

W2 D1 C1

4 - 4
6 - 4
4 - 3
4 - 2
Max(6) - 2

Another rough day. This is definitely the toughest patch I've hit so far in the program, as I'm going in the wrong direction. A lot of it probably has to do with working a lot lately and sleeping erratically, and I know I'll eventually push through it.

[samifan24]

I'm starting the challenge over today with a stress test and will pick things up from there (I'm assuming week 3 or 4). I maxed out at about 60 pushups consecutively during the stress tests the last time I "completed" the program and grew frustrated because I felt like I couldn't get near 100 pushups by following the program. I've read here that the program has been revised since I last "completed" it so I'm going to give it another go.

[Brian Swartz]

I don't see how one could complete Weeks 5 and 6 with the recommended rest, double sets, etc. and only be able to do 60 consecutive. Guess I'll see in many moons when I get there, but it seems if you got that far you'd be close to 100. Somebody on another forum where I've discussed this is just barely to Week 6, and hit over 90.

[samifan24]

Originally Posted by Brian Swartz

I don't see how one could complete Weeks 5 and 6 with the recommended rest, double sets, etc. and only be able to do 60 consecutive. Guess I'll see in many moons when I get there, but it seems if you got that far you'd be close to 100. Somebody on another forum where I've discussed this is just barely to Week 6, and hit over 90.

I guess everybody's different but I felt a big dropoff when I hit the later weeks and started the double sets routine. When I was doing single sets I felt much better and was able to do far more pushups than when I started doing the double sets. I never took the final test because I knew I wouldn't come close to 100.

[PLD3009]

fell off the wagon

went to the States for a week on business and Jet Lag/time differences got the better of me inward and outward - back too week 3 (20/15/15/13/20) tonight

[Brian Swartz]

W2 D2 C1

5 - 5
6 - 4
4 - 3
4 - 3
Max(7) - 2

Almost a carbon copy, of last week, with a total of 17(+1).

[boberot]

Originally Posted by boberot

OK, let's just make that five fails on this day.

It's OK -- it's making me do 100 pushups every other day.

That can't be a bad thing.

I'm up to at least 8 FAILS on Week 4, Day 2, Column 2.

It's asking for 115 total, and I've been able to reach 110 [and even 111] but keep falling short.

My prize for eventually pumping out 115? A date with 135 on W4, D3, C2.



I aint gonna quit.

[3ric]

I've failed to complete week 1 several times now - but I've improved on the exhaustion test from 15 to 20 last night. I'm happy with that. And yes, the program is unrealistic.

[Danny]

I just did my first day of this. I used to lift weights about once to twice a week, but have not done much in the last year and a half since I met my now wife. I don't have a lot of time with work, grad school and marriage life, so I thought this would be an interesting way to challenge myself and keep my strength up. Plus I've gone from about 230 to 242 since I met my wife, so I would like to drop the extra 10-15 pounds at some point. I decided to also do a 100 squat challenge along with this using the same guidelines they set for push ups, so I would have something for my legs as well.

I measured it at more than 20 pushups, but not that much more (28) so starting at week 3 seemed unrealistic. I started with the highest level of week 1. So far so good on day one, did 10-12-7-7-12 for pushups and 10-12-7-7-30 for squats.

[Brian Swartz]

W2 D3 C1

5 - 5
7 - 5
5 - 4
5 - 3
Max(8) - 3

Repeating Week 2 again(third attempt) next week.

[Brian Swartz]

W2 D1 C1

4 - 4
6 - 4
4 - 3
4 - 3
Max(6) - 2

[boberot]

After intense frustration [see above], I've taken a holiday from the 100 Pushup Challenge to do my own little challenge -- which hopefully will advance me in the real challenge:

I'm doing 150 pushups per day [30 per set] at least 5 days per week.

I'm hoping that, after a few weeks, I'll revert back to the 100 PushChall and find it more manageable.

[PackerFanatic]

Due to the fact that my schedule was busy and I just was overall unmotivated over the last few weeks, it took me a while to get back on track. I did Day 1 of Week 3 on Thursday, but then decided that since I was so slow picking it back up, I didn't want to kill myself right away, so I am doing Week 3 twice at the same time. So I will do two day 1s, two day 2, and two day 3s - all week 3 of course. I am doing the first column and actually feel awesome after finishing my second day 1. I was damn sore today after playing football yesterday, but I definitely feel like I am slowly but surely getting better. I upped my max 6 between the two tries of day 1 - on to day 2 of week 3 Wednesday!

[Brian Swartz]

W2 D2 C1

5 - 5
6 - 6
4 - 4
4 - 4
Max(7) - 3

Best day in quite a while, 22 for the day which is +5 from last week. Felt better than usual from the start, though I was hoping for more in the max set.

[Danny]

Just completed week 1, day 2. My body has always needed at least two days of rest between workouts, so I won't be able to complete this as fast as the schedule says, but I'm happy as long as I'm able to meet each day's goal as I progress.

[3ric]

Finished week 1 for the first time. I have noticed a clear difference in endurance since my last attempt.

[Brian Swartz]

W2 D3 C1

5 - 5
7 - 6
5 - 5
5 - 4
Max(8) - 4

A solid day, 24 total(+4 from last week). Fourth attempt at week two upcoming.

[Brian Swartz]

W2 D1 C1

4 - 4
6 - 5
4 - 3
4 - 3
Max(6) - 3

[Danny]

Pushups
W1 D3 C3

11-11
15-15
9-9
9-9
13-16

Squats

11-11
15-15
9-9
9-9
13-45

For the squats I do the first two sets with arms behind my head, not holding onto anything. For the third and fourth sets I do a jump squat with the same form. For the 5th set, I am holding onto the wall and doing the squats quicker until I really feel a burn.

I am ordering a pullup/situp bar and plan on adding both of those to my routine. I'll have to start out with the lowest level for the pullups though. Once I get used to the two new exercises, I plan on doing pushups/pullups on Monday and Friday and situps/squats on Wed and Sat.

This works for me as a full body work out as I am really busy with work and school and don't like to go to gyms as I prefer privacy for working out. Plus, with my body weight I can get good strength building just out of doing these core exercises.

[JetsIn06]

I'm starting this. Just took the initial test. Got to 15. Tried one more and collapsed

[Danny]

BTW, good job Bryan, it's good to see someone sticking with this. Hopefully I can stick to the routine I set out for myself and continue to progress myself even if I miss a workout here and there.

[Brian Swartz]

Thanks Danny -- it's gradual but with determination comes progress. My best advice is never allow yourself any BS excuses for missing days, a strong commitment to a lifestyle change not just a new phase, and focus on workout intensity, not results as the latter are a by-product of the former. I wish you luck, I've finally gotten consistency after many failed attempts at different workouts over the past years and it feels fabulous!

W2 D2 C1

5 - 5
6 - 6
4 - 4
4 - 4
Max(7) - 4

Tired and stiff today, but still a decent performance with a total of 23(+1).

[Brian Swartz]

W2 D3 C1

5 - 5
7 - 7
5 - 5
5 - 5
Max(8) - 3

And once again I'll be repeating week two. Definitely my best attempt at it so far though.

[Danny]

W2 D1 C3
Pushups

14-14
14-14
10-10
10-10
15-18

W2 D1 C3
Squats

14-14
14-14
10-10
10-10
15-50

W2 D1 C3
Crunches

14-14
14-14
10-10
10-10
15-18

W1 D1 C1
Pull ups

2-2
3-3
2-2
2-2
3-3

I have to cheat on most of the pull ups after the first set, I bring myself up as far as I can (not always over the bar) and lower myself down slowly to complete the ones I can't do the proper way.

[Brian Swartz]

W2 D1 C1

4 - 4
6 - 4
4 - 3
4 - 2
Max(6) - 2

[Brian Swartz]

W2 D2 C1

5 - 5
6 - 6
4 - 4
4 - 4
Max(7) - 5

Better than yesterday, but not quite there yet.

[Danny]

Brian, are you only resting one day? You really need to give yourself at least 48 hours before working out again.

[Brian Swartz]

I usually rest at least a day in between -- occasionally I go back to back though if my schedule demands it.

[Danny]

W2 D2 C3
Pushups

14-14
16-16
12-12
12-12
17-19

W2 D2 C3
Squats

14-14
16-16
12-12
12-12
17-52

[Greyroofoo]

Well my office has gotten into a modified version of this (and it's sit-up sister). Did my initial test at 73. Situps at 50. I'm on week 2 so we'll see how it goes.

[BYU 14]

OK, decided to mix up my workout program, so I will be doing this and Yoga as opposed to lifting until I complete the program.

Age 46
Initial Test 42

Once I get back from Hawaii I will be starting on
W3 D1 C3
14
18
14
14
20